Multiple-BSSID Support In Multi-Link Operation In Wireless Communications

ABSTRACT

A plurality of different medium access control (MAC) addresses are assigned to a plurality of virtual access point (AP) multi-link devices (MLDs) that are implemented within a physical AP MLD such that each of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs is assigned a respective MAC address of the plurality of different MAC addresses. Wireless communications are then established with one or more stations (STAs) over a plurality of links.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

The present disclosure is part of a Continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/235,029, filed on 20 Apr. 2021 and claiming thepriority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/013,584,filed on 22 Apr. 2020. Contents of aforementioned applications areherein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is generally related to wireless communicationsand, more particularly, to multiple-basic service set identifier (BSSID)support in multi-link operation in wireless communications.

BACKGROUND

Unless otherwise indicated herein, approaches described in this sectionare not prior art to the claims listed below and are not admitted asprior art by inclusion in this section.

For next-generation wireless communications such as those in a wirelesslocal area network (WLAN) according to the Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 specifications, multi-link frameworkhas been proposed and a multi-link device (MLD) is a device having amedium access control (MAC) address that identifies the MLD managemententity. For example, the MAC address can be used in multi-link setupbetween an access point (AP) MLD and a non-AP MLD. On a high level, anMLD MAC address is used to identify and differentiate different MLDs. Astation (STA) wireless medium (WM) MAC address is used for on-the-airtransmission on the corresponding medium.

For an AP MLD to continue to serve legacy STAs of high-throughput (HT),very-high-throughput (VHT) or high-efficiency (HE) operations under theIEEE 802.11 standards, each affiliated AP of an AP MLD is to use adifferent MAC address. However, there exists ambiguity when twoaffiliated APs of an AP MLD use the same MAC address. For example, ifAP1 and AP2 of an AP MLD use the same MAC address, it would be difficultfor legacy STAs to know if AP2 is a different from AP1 or if AP2 isactually AP1 performing channel switching. Thus, there is a need for asolution to address the relation between MAC addresses and affiliatedAPs of an AP MLD.

For a non-AP MLD, if an AP MLD uses different MAC addresses foraffiliated STAs, it would make sense to have symmetric operation for thenon-AP MLD as well. The non-AP MLD may serve as a soft AP forpeer-to-peer communication, and symmetric operation would simplifyimplementation consideration. Moreover, transmission from the non-AP MLDto the AP MLD in different links may have the same nonce for differentmessages if affiliated non-AP STAs have the same MAC address under thesame packet number (PN) space and/or pairwise transient key (PTK), whichwould destroy the security property. Thus, there is a need for asolution to address the relation between MAC addresses and affiliatednon-APs of a non-AP MLD.

SUMMARY

The following summary is illustrative only and is not intended to belimiting in any way. That is, the following summary is provided tointroduce concepts, highlights, benefits and advantages of the novel andnon-obvious techniques described herein. Select implementations arefurther described below in the detailed description. Thus, the followingsummary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimedsubject matter, nor is it intended for use in determining the scope ofthe claimed subject matter.

An objective of the present disclosure is to provide schemes, concepts,designs, techniques, methods and apparatuses pertaining tomultiple-BSSID support in multi-link operation in wirelesscommunications. Under various proposed schemes in accordance with thepresent disclosure, the aforementioned issues may be addressed.

In one aspect, a method may involve assigning a plurality of differentMAC addresses to a plurality of virtual AP MLDs that are implementedwithin a physical AP MLD such that each of the plurality of virtual APMLDs is assigned a respective MAC address of the plurality of differentMAC addresses. The method may also involve establishing wirelesscommunications with one or more stations (STAs) over a plurality oflinks.

In another aspect, a method may involve establishing a wirelesscommunication with a first virtual AP MLD of a plurality of virtual APMLDs that are implemented within a physical AP MLD over a first link ofa plurality of links such that: (a) each of the plurality of virtual APMLDs is assigned a respective MAC address of a plurality of differentMAC addresses, and (b) each of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs operateson each of the plurality of links under a respective one of a pluralityof different BSSIDs. The method may also involve receiving, from thefirst virtual AP MLD, a beacon frame containing capabilities andoperating parameters of a first BSSID of the plurality of differentBSSIDs under which the first virtual AP MLD operates on at least thefirst link of the plurality of links.

It is noteworthy that, although description provided herein may be inthe context of certain radio access technologies, networks and networktopologies such as, Wi-Fi, the proposed concepts, schemes and anyvariation(s)/derivative(s) thereof may be implemented in, for and byother types of radio access technologies, networks and networktopologies such as, for example and without limitation, Bluetooth,ZigBee, 5^(th) Generation (5G)/New Radio (NR), Long-Term Evolution(LTE), LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, Internet-of-Things (loT),Industrial loT (IIoT) and narrowband loT (NB-IoT). Thus, the scope ofthe present disclosure is not limited to the examples described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute apart of the present disclosure. The drawings illustrate implementationsof the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explainthe principles of the disclosure. It is appreciable that the drawingsare not necessarily in scale as some components may be shown to be outof proportion than the size in actual implementation to clearlyillustrate the concept of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example network environment in which varioussolutions and schemes in accordance with the present disclosure may beimplemented.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of example designs in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example scenario in accordance with thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of an example scenario in accordance with thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of an example design in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of an example design in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of an example design in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of an example design in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of an example scenario in accordance with thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a diagram of an example design in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an example communication system inaccordance with an implementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an example process in accordance with animplementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an example process in accordance with animplementation of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Detailed embodiments and implementations of the claimed subject mattersare disclosed herein. However, it shall be understood that the disclosedembodiments and implementations are merely illustrative of the claimedsubject matters which may be embodied in various forms. The presentdisclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and shouldnot be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments andimplementations set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodimentsand implementations are provided so that description of the presentdisclosure is thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope ofthe present disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the descriptionbelow, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted toavoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments andimplementations.

Overview

Implementations in accordance with the present disclosure relate tovarious techniques, methods, schemes and/or solutions pertaining tomultiple-BSSID support in multi-link operation in wirelesscommunications. According to the present disclosure, a number ofpossible solutions may be implemented separately or jointly. That is,although these possible solutions may be described below separately, twoor more of these possible solutions may be implemented in onecombination or another.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example network environment 100 in which varioussolutions and schemes in accordance with the present disclosure may beimplemented. FIG. 2 ˜FIG. 13 illustrate examples of implementation ofvarious proposed schemes in network environment 100 in accordance withthe present disclosure. The following description of various proposedschemes is provided with reference to FIG. 1 ˜FIG. 13 .

Referring to FIG. 1 , network environment 100 may involve a STA 110, aSTA 120 and STA 130 communicating wirelessly over multiple links (e.g.,link 1, link 2 and link 3) in accordance with one or more Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards. Each ofSTA 110, STA 120 and STA 130 may function as an AP MLD or a non-AP MLD.For instance, multiple virtual AP MLDs may operate within STA 110.Correspondingly, multiple virtual non-AP MLDs may operate within each ofSTA 120 and STA 130. For illustrative purposes and without limiting thescope of the present disclosure, STA 110 may communicate over link 1(L1), link 2 (L2) and link 3 (L3) under BSSID-x, BSSID-p and BSSID-a,respectively. STA 120 may communicate over link 2 (L2) and link 3 (L3)under BSSID-q and BSSID-b, respectively, and STA 130 may communicateover link 1 (L1) and link 2 (L2) under BSSID-y and BSSID-r,respectively. Optionally, there may be another MLD operating on link 3(L3) under BSSID-c. Accordingly, BSSID-x and BSSID-y may be considered amultiple-BSSID set on link 1. Similarly, BSSID-p, BSSID-q and BSSID-rmay be considered a multiple-BSSID set on link 2. Likewise, BSSID-a,BSSID-b and BSSID-c may be considered a multiple-BSSID set on link 3.Under various proposed schemes in accordance with the presentdisclosure, STA 110, STA 120 and STA 130 may be configured to performmultiple-BSSID support in multi-link operation in wirelesscommunications according to various proposed schemes described herein.

For legacy association, an AP differentiates different associated non-APSTAs through MAC addresses of the non-AP STAs. For a multi-link setup,differentiation of different non-AP MLDs may require a similaridentifier such as the MAC address of the non-AP MLD. Knowing the MACaddress of a non-AP MLD after setup would be useful for subsequentnegotiations such as for security and block acknowledgement (BA). It isnoteworthy, however, that an identifier with a smaller size may lead toidentifier collision and confusion of setup result. On the other hand,without an identifier, differentiation of different non-AP MLDs may needto be based on all the configuration details of the non-AP MLDs, and itmay be difficult to discern differences like re-setup with differentconfigurations. Thus, under a proposed scheme in accordance with thepresent disclosure, the MAC address of a non-AP MLD may be indicatedduring a multi-link setup procedure.

For legacy association, the MAC address of an associated AP is knownbefore association. For a multi-link setup, it not yet defined as towhether an AP MLD discovery may provide the MAC address of the AP MLD.In case the AP MLD address is not known before the multi-link setup,then having the AP MLD address in multi-link setup procedure may beuseful for subsequent negotiations such as for security and BA. In casethe AP MLD address is known before multi-link setup, then having the APMLD address in the multi-link setup procedure may be useful to confirmthe destined MLD for setup and to avoid unknown corner cases. Thus,under a proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure, theMAC address of an AP MLD may be indicated during the multi-link setupprocedure.

In general, a STA within an AP MLD may send an information element (IE)regarding BSS parameters associated with another STA within the AP MLD.Under a proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure, a newMultiple-Link IE may be utilized to encapsulate the BSS parameters(e.g., information elements) of STAs within the same AP MLD that aredifferent from the STA that is transmitting the Multiple-Link IE. Part(A) of FIG. 2 shows an example design 210 of a Multiple-Link IE.Referring to design 210, the Multiple-Link IE may include an element IDfield (e.g., with a length of 1 octet), a length field (e.g., with alength of 1 octet), an element ID extension field (e.g., with a lengthof 1 octet), a Link ID filed (e.g., with a length of 1 octet), and anoptional sub-elements field (e.g., with a variable length).

Additionally, a STA within an AP MLD may send a Change Sequence IE toindicate a change of system information within a BSS associated withanother STA within the AP MLD. In such cases, the optional sub-elementsfield in the Multiple-Link IE may contain the Change Sequence IE.Alternatively, a new Multi-Link Change Sequence IE may be defined. Part(B) of FIG. 2 shows an example design 220 of a Multi-Link ChangeSequence IE. Referring to design 220, the Multi-Link Change Sequence IEmay include an element ID field (e.g., with a length of 1 octet), alength field (e.g., with a length of 1 octet), an element ID extensionfield (e.g., with a length of 1 octet), a Link ID filed (e.g., with alength of 1 octet), and a change sequence field (e.g., with a length of1 octet). The Change Sequence field in the Multi-Link Change Sequence IEmay be 1 octet in length and may be defined as an unsigned integer,initialized to 0, that may increment when a critical update occurs toany of the elements inside a Beacon frame sent on the link indicated bythe Link ID by a STA within the AP MLD. The STA within the AP MLD mayincrease the value (e.g., modulo 256) of the Change Sequence field inthe next transmitted Beacon frame(s) when a critical update occurs toany of the elements inside the Beacon frame sent on the link indicatedby the Link ID by another STA within the AP MLD. Events which may beclassified as a critical update may include, for example and withoutlimitation: (a) inclusion of an Extended Channel Switch Announcement,(b) inclusion of a BSS Color Change Announcement, (c) modification ofenhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) parameters, (d) modificationof a multi-user (MU) EDCA Parameter Set element, and (e) modification ofa Spatial Reuse Parameter Set element. The STA within the AP MLD mayclassify other changes in the Beacon frame as critical updates. Whenmultiple BSSID are enabled, all AP STAs (transmitted BSSID ornon-transmitted BSSID) within each AP MLD may have separate ChangeSequence values.

When a STA in a non-AP MLD receives a Change Sequence field thatcontains a value that is different from a previously received ChangeSequence field associated with a STA within an AP MLD, another STA inthe non-AP MLD may either be awake to receive the next Beacon frame senton the link indicated by the Link ID by the STA within the AP MLD orqueue for transmission of a Probe Request frame to the STA within the APMLD.

Under a proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure, whena multi-link operation is served in a multiple-BSSID environment,multiple AP MLDs may be virtualized as in the case when multiple APs arevirtualized on each link of multiple links using multiple AP MLD MACaddresses. FIG. 3 illustrates an example scenario 300 with respect tomultiple-BSSID support in multi-link operation for multiple AP MLD MACaddresses in accordance with the present disclosure. In scenario 300, asingle physical AP MLD may have multiple virtual APs (hereininterchangeably referred to as “virtual AP MLDs”) associated therewith,such as: virtual AP MLD 0, virtual AP MLD 1, virtual AP MLD 2 andvirtual AP MLD 3. Moreover, in scenario 300, for multi-link operationswith support for multiple BSSIDs, each of the virtual AP MLDs mayoperate (e.g., transmit) on each of one or more of multiple links undera respective BSSID. For instance, virtual AP MLD 0 may operate on link1, link 2 and link 3 under a transmitted (Tx) BSSID 0, Tx BSSID 4 and TxBSSID 8, respectively. Similarly, virtual AP MLD 1 may operate on link1, link 2 and link 3 under non-transmitted (NonTx) BSSID 1, NonTx BSSID5 and NonTx BSSID 9, respectively. Likewise, virtual AP MLD 2 mayoperate on link 1, link 2 and link 3 under NonTx BSSID 2, NonTx BSSID 6and NonTx BSSID a, respectively. Additionally, virtual AP MLD 3 mayoperate on link 1, link 2 and link 3 under NonTx BSSID 3, NonTx BSSID 7and NonTx BSSID b, respectively.

Under the proposed scheme, each virtual AP MLD may have separate AP MLDMAC address for establishing a separate administrative domain. Forinstance, when a virtual private network (VPN) served by each virtual APMLD operates on separate Internet Protocol (IP) subnet, each virtual APMLD may need an independent MAC address. FIG. 4 illustrates an examplescenario 400 with respect to multiple-BSSID support in multi-linkoperation for multiple AP MLD MAC addresses in accordance with thepresent disclosure. In scenario 400, each of virtual AP MLD 0, virtualAP MLD 1, virtual AP MLD 2 and virtual AP MLD 3 of a physical AP MLD mayhave a respective MAC address. For instance, virtual AP MLD 0 may beassigned an AP MLD MAC address 0, virtual AP MLD 1 may be assigned an APMLD MAC address 1, virtual AP MLD 2 may be assigned an AP MLD MACaddress 2, and virtual AP MLD 3 may be assigned an AP MLD MAC address 3.Accordingly, AP MLD MAC address 0 may correspond to an IP subnet 0 onlink 1, link 2 and link 3, AP MLD MAC address 1 may correspond to an IPsubnet 1 on link 1, link 2 and link 3, AP MLD MAC address 2 maycorrespond to an IP subnet 2 on link 1, link 2 and link 3, and AP MLDMAC address 3 may correspond to an IP subnet 3 on link 1, link 2 andlink 3.

Under the proposed scheme, the MAC address of each virtual AP MLD may beprovided as a pair of {BSSID index, AP MLD MAC address}. Each virtual APMLD may be constituted either from non-transmitted BSSIDs having thesame BSSID index or from transmitted BSSIDs. In case a virtual AP MLD isallowed to be constituted from non-transmitted BSSIDs having differentBSSID indices or from a combination of transmitted BSSID(s) andnon-transmitted BSSID(s), the AP MLD may need additional signaling toconfigure the BSSIDs belonging to the same virtual AP MLD.

Under a proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure,capabilities and operational parameters of virtual AP MLDs havingdifferent MAC addresses in multi-link operations may be signaled in acertain way. For instance, Tx BSSID 0 may transmit a Beacon frame thatcontains the capabilities and operational parameters of Tx BSSID 0.Additionally, the Beacon frame may also include Multiple-BSSID IEs thatcontain the capabilities and operational parameters of NonTx BSSID 1,NonTx BSSID 2 and NonTx BSSID 3. Moreover, the Beacon frame may furtherinclude Multiple-Link IEs that contain the capabilities and operationalparameters of Tx BSSID 4 and Tx BSSID 8 that are member of virtual APMLD 0.

In the Multiple-BSSID IE of the Beacon frame, the Multiple-Link IE ofthe non-transmitted BSSID profile sub-element associated with BSSIDindex 1 may contain the capabilities and operational parameters of NonTxBSSID 5 and NonTx BSSID 9 that are member of virtual AP MLD 1.Similarly, the Multiple-Link IE of the non-transmitted BSSID profilesub-element associated with BSSID index 2 may contain the capabilitiesand operational parameters of NonTx BSSID 6 and NonTx BSSID a that aremember of virtual AP MLD 2. Likewise, the Multiple-Link IE of thenon-transmitted BSSID profile sub-element associated with BSSID index 3may contain the capabilities and operational parameters of NonTx BSSID 7and NonTx BSSID b that are member of virtual AP MLD 3.

Under a proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure, MACaddress of each virtual AP MLD in multi-link operations may be signaledin a certain way. For instance, the Multiple-Link IE of the Beacon frameassociated with BSSID index 0 may contain the AP MLD MAC address 0 forthe virtual AP MLD 0 constituting of the Tx BSSID 0, Tx BSSID 4 and TxBSSID 8. In the Multiple-BSSID IE of the Beacon frame, the Multiple-LinkIE of the non-transmitted BSSID profile sub-element associated withBSSID index 1 may contain the AP MLD MAC address 1 for virtual AP MLD 1constituting of NonTx BSSID 1, NonTx BSSID 5 and NonTx BSSID 9.Similarly, the Multiple-Link IE of the non-transmitted BSSID profilesub-element associated with BSSID index 2 may contain the AP MLD MACaddress 2 for virtual AP MLD 2 constituting of NonTx BSSID 2, NonTxBSSID 6 and NonTx BSSID a. Likewise, the Multiple-Link IE of thenon-transmitted BSSID profile sub-element associated with BSSID index 3may contain the AP MLD MAC address 3 for virtual AP MLD 3 constitutingof NonTx BSSID 3, NonTx BSSID 7 and NonTx BSSID b.

Under a proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure,change sequences in multi-link operations may be signaled in a certainway. For instance, the Beacon frame, which is transmitted by Tx BSSID 0,may contain the change sequence of Tx BSSID0. Moreover, theMultiple-BSSID IE in the Beacon frame may contain the change sequencesof NonTx BSSID 1, NonTx BSSID2 and NonTx BSSID3. Furthermore, theMultiple-Link IE in the Beacon frame may also contain the changesequences of Tx BSSID 4 and Tx BSSID 8. In the Multiple-BSSID IE of theBeacon frame, the Multiple-Link IE of the non-transmitted BSSID profilesub-element associated with BSSID index 1 may contain the changesequences of NonTx BSSID 5 and NonTx BSSID 9. Similarly, theMultiple-Link IE of the non-transmitted BSSID profile sub-elementassociated with BSSID index 2 may contain the change sequences of NonTxBSSID 6 and NonTx BSSID a. Likewise, the Multiple-Link IE of thenon-transmitted BSSID profile sub-element associated with BSSID index 3may contain the change sequences of NonTx BSSID 7 and NonTx BSSID b.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example design of a Beacon frame 500 with respectto multiple-BSSID support in multi-link operation for multiple AP MLDMAC addresses in accordance with the present disclosure. Referring toFIG. 5 , Beacon frame 500 may contain a plurality of informationalfields such as, for example and without limitation, Timestamp, BeaconInterval, Capability Information, Service Set Identifier (SSID), ChangeSequence, Multiple BSSID, Reduced Neighbor Report (RNR), and MultipleLink. The Change Sequence field may be utilized to provide the ChangeSequence associated with the transmitted BSSID. The Multiple BSSID fieldmay be utilized to provide the non-transmitted BSSIDs on link(s)associated with the transmitted BSSID. The RNR field may be utilized toprovide the Link ID mapping to the operating class, the channel number,and the BSSID for each link. The Multiple Link field may be utilized toprovide the BSSIDs in other links that are constituting the AP MLD withthe transmitted BSSID.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example design of a Multiple-BSSID IE 600 withrespect to multiple-BSSID support in multi-link operation for multipleAP MLD MAC addresses in accordance with the present disclosure.Referring to FIG. 6 , Multiple-BSSID IE 600 may carry non-transmittedBSSID profile sub-elements with respect to various virtual AP MLDs.Multiple-BSSID IE 600 may also carry a Multiple-Link IE that containsMultiple-Link information of virtual AP MLD n identified by BSSID indexn, with n>1.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example design of a Multiple-Link IE 700 withrespect to multiple-BSSID support in multi-link operation for multipleAP MLD MAC addresses in accordance with the present disclosure.Referring to FIG. 7 , Multiple-Link IE 700 may carry a plurality ofMultiple Link Profile sub-elements. For instance, Multiple-Link IE 700may carry Multiple Link Profile sub-element for link 0˜Multiple LinkProfile sub-element for link n, with n>1. Each Multiple Link Profilesub-element may carry a respective Link ID and capability information.Optionally, each Multiple Link Profile sub-element may also indicate adelivery traffic indication message (DTIM) period, a DTIM count, aChange Sequence, and one or more Optional sub-elements. The Link IDfield may indicate a Link ID associated with link n (mapping between thelink (specified in the Operating Class, Channel Number, and BSSID) andthe link ID is defined in the RNR element). The capability informationfield may indicate capability information of the AP in the AP MLDoperating on link n. The DTIM period field may indicate a DTIM period ofthe AP in the AP MLD operating on link n. The DTIM count field mayindicate a DTIM count of the AP in the AP MLD operating on link n. TheChange Sequence field may indicate a change sequence of the AP in the APMLD operating on link n. The Optional sub-elements may indicate variousinformation such as, for example and without limitation, Timestamp,Beacon Interval fields, direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) ParameterSet, independent basic service set (IBSS) Parameter Set, Country,Channel Switch Announcement, Extended Channel Switch Announcement, WideBandwidth, Channel Switch, Transmit Power Envelope, Supported OperatingClasses, IBSS dynamic frequency selection (DFS), Extended Rate Physical(ERP) information, High-Throughput (HT) capabilities, HT operation,Very-High-Throughput (VHT) capabilities, VHT operation, High-Efficiency(HE) capabilities, HE 6 GHz, Band Capabilities, HE Operation, BSS ColorChange Announcement, and Spatial Reuse Parameter Set elements, exceptwhen the Multiple-Link IE is present in the non-transmitted BSSIDprofile sub-element in the Multiple-BSSID IE. In such cases, thoseelements are not present in the Optional sub-elements.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example design of a Reduced Neighbor Report IE 800with respect to multiple-BSSID support in multi-link operation formultiple AP MLD MAC addresses in accordance with the present disclosure.Referring to FIG. 8 , Reduced Neighbor Report IE 800 may carry one ormore neighbor AP information fields, which may include a target beacontransmission time (TBTT) information header, an Operating Class field, aChannel Number filed, and a TBTT information set field. The TBTTinformation set field may carry neighbor AP TBTT offset, BSSID(optional), short SSID (optional), BSS parameters, and Link ID. As canbe seen, the RNR may define the mapping between the Link ID and theinformation set of {Operating Class, Channel Number, BSSID}.

Under a proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure, whena multi-link operation is served in a multiple-BSSID environment,multiple AP MLDs may be virtualized as in the case when multiple APs arevirtualized on each link of multiple links using a single AP MLD MACaddress. FIG. 9 illustrates an example scenario 900 with respect tomultiple-BSSID support in multi-link operation for single AP MLD MACaddress in accordance with the present disclosure. In scenario 900, asingle physical AP MLD may have multiple virtual APs (or virtual APMLDs) associated therewith, such as: virtual AP MLD 0, virtual AP MLD 1,virtual AP MLD 2 and virtual AP MLD 3. Moreover, in scenario 900, formulti-link operations with support for multiple BSSIDs, each of thevirtual AP MLDs may operate (e.g., transmit) on each of one or more ofmultiple links under a respective BSSID. For instance, virtual AP MLD 0may operate on link 1, link 2 and link 3 under a Tx BSSID 0, Tx BSSID 4and Tx BSSID 8, respectively. Similarly, virtual AP MLD 1 may operate onlink 1, link 2 and link 3 under NonTx BSSID 1, NonTx BSSID 5 and NonTxBSSID 9, respectively. Likewise, virtual AP MLD 2 may operate on link 1,link 2 and link 3 under NonTx BSSID 2, NonTx BSSID 6 and NonTx BSSID a,respectively. Additionally, virtual AP MLD 3 may operate on link 1, link2 and link 3 under NonTx BSSID 3, NonTx BSSID 7 and NonTx BSSID b,respectively.

Under the proposed scheme, all the virtual AP MLDs may have the same APMLD MAC address and all the virtual AP MLDs may establish a same IPsubnet (e.g., IP subnet 0). For instance, a BSSID field indicated in theMAC address header in the multi-link setup request and response framesmay be used to determine the virtual AP MLD with which a STA MLD isassociated. In scenario 900, each of virtual AP MLD 0, virtual AP MLD 1,virtual AP MLD 2 and virtual AP MLD 3 of a physical AP MLD may have thesame MAC address (e.g., MAC address 0). For instance, each of virtual APMLD 0, virtual AP MLD 1, virtual AP MLD 2, and virtual AP MLD 3 may beassigned an AP MLD MAC address 0, which may correspond to an IP subnet 0on link 1, link 2 and link 3.

Under the proposed scheme, each virtual AP MLD may be constituted fromthe non-transmitted BSSIDs having the same BSSID index or thetransmitted BSSIDs. In case a virtual AP MLD is allowed to beconstituted from the non-transmitted BSSIDs having different BSSIDindices or from a combination of transmitted BSSID(s) andnon-transmitted BSSID(s), the AP MLD may need additional signaling toconfigure the BSSIDs belonging to the same virtual AP MLD.

Under a proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure,capabilities and operational parameters of virtual AP MLDs having thesame MAC address in multi-link operations may be signaled in a certainway. For instance, Tx BSSID 0 may transmit a Beacon frame that containsthe capabilities and operational parameters of Tx BSSID 0. Additionally,the Beacon frame may also include Multiple-BSSID IEs that contain thecapabilities and operational parameters of NonTx BSSID 1, NonTx BSSID 2and NonTx BSSID 3. Moreover, the Beacon frame may further includeMultiple-Link IEs that contain the capabilities and operationalparameters of Tx BSSID 4 and Tx BSSID 8.

In the Multiple-BSSID IE of the Beacon frame, the Multiple-Link IE ofthe non-transmitted BSSID profile sub-element associated with BSSIDindex 1 may contain the capabilities and operational parameters of NonTxBSSID 5 and NonTx BSSID 9. Similarly, the Multiple-Link IE of thenon-transmitted BSSID profile sub-element associated with BSSID index 2may contain the capabilities and operational parameters of NonTx BSSID 6and NonTx BSSID a. Likewise, the Multiple-Link IE of the non-transmittedBSSID profile sub-element associated with BSSID index 3 may contain thecapabilities and operational parameters of NonTx BSSID 7 and NonTx BSSIDb.

Under a proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure,change sequences in multi-link operations may be signaled in a certainway. For instance, the Beacon frame, which is transmitted by Tx BSSID 0,may contain the change sequence of Tx BSSID0. Moreover, theMultiple-BSSID IE in the Beacon frame may contain the change sequencesof NonTx BSSID 1, NonTx BSSID2 and NonTx BSSID3. Furthermore, theMultiple-Link IE in the Beacon frame may also contain the changesequences of Tx BSSID 4 and Tx BSSID 8. In the Multiple-BSSID IE of theBeacon frame, the Multiple-Link IE of the non-transmitted BSSID profilesub-element associated with BSSID index 1 may contain the changesequences of NonTx BSSID 5 and NonTx BSSID 9. Similarly, theMultiple-Link IE of the non-transmitted BSSID profile sub-elementassociated with BSSID index 2 may contain the change sequences of NonTxBSSID 6 and NonTx BSSID a. Likewise, the Multiple-Link IE of thenon-transmitted BSSID profile sub-element associated with BSSID index 3may contain the change sequences of NonTx BSSID 7 and NonTx BSSID b.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example design of a Beacon frame 1000 withrespect to multiple-BSSID support in multi-link operation for a same APMLD MAC address in accordance with the present disclosure. Referring toFIG. 10 , Beacon frame 1000 may contain a plurality of informationalfields such as, for example and without limitation, Timestamp, BeaconInterval, Capability Information, Service Set Identifier (SSID), ChangeSequence, Multiple BSSID, Reduced Neighbor Report (RNR), AP MLD MACAddress, and Multiple Link. The Change Sequence field may be utilized toprovide the Change Sequence associated with the transmitted BSSID. TheMultiple BSSID field may be utilized to provide the non-transmittedBSSIDs on link(s) associated with the transmitted BSSID. The RNR fieldmay be utilized to provide the Link ID mapping to the operating class,the channel number, and the BSSID for each link. The AP MLD MAC Addressfield may be utilized to provide the MAC address of the AP MLD. TheMultiple Link field may be utilized to provide the BSSIDs in other linksthat are constituting the AP MLD with the transmitted BSSID.

Under a proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure, thedesigns of Multiple-BSSID IE, Multiple-Link IE, and Reduced NeighborReport IE for implementations in which multiple virtual AP MLDs sharethe same MAC address may be identical to those for implementations inwhich multiple virtual AP MLDs have different respective MAC addresses,as shown in FIG. 6 , FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 and as described above. Thus, inthe interest of brevity, additional figures and description are notprovided so as to avoid redundancy.

Illustrative Implementations

FIG. 11 illustrates an example system 1100 having at least an exampleapparatus 1110 and an example apparatus 1120 in accordance with animplementation of the present disclosure. Each of apparatus 1110 andapparatus 1120 may perform various functions to implement schemes,techniques, processes and methods described herein pertaining tomultiple-BSSID support in multi-link operation in wirelesscommunications, including the various schemes described above withrespect to various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems andmethods described above as well as processes described below. Forinstance, apparatus 1110 may be an example implementation of STA 110,and apparatus 1120 may be an example implementation of STA 120.

Each of apparatus 1110 and apparatus 1120 may be a part of an electronicapparatus, which may be a STA or an AP, such as a portable or mobileapparatus, a wearable apparatus, a wireless communication apparatus or acomputing apparatus. For instance, each of apparatus 1110 and apparatus1120 may be implemented in a smartphone, a smart watch, a personaldigital assistant, a digital camera, or a computing equipment such as atablet computer, a laptop computer or a notebook computer. Each ofapparatus 1110 and apparatus 1120 may also be a part of a machine typeapparatus, which may be an loT apparatus such as an immobile or astationary apparatus, a home apparatus, a wire communication apparatusor a computing apparatus. For instance, each of apparatus 1110 andapparatus 1120 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart fridge,a smart door lock, a wireless speaker or a home control center. Whenimplemented in or as a network apparatus, apparatus 1110 and/orapparatus 1120 may be implemented in a network node, such as an AP in aWLAN.

In some implementations, each of apparatus 1110 and apparatus 1120 maybe implemented in the form of one or more integrated-circuit (IC) chipssuch as, for example and without limitation, one or more single-coreprocessors, one or more multi-core processors, one or morereduced-instruction set computing (RISC) processors, or one or morecomplex-instruction-set-computing (CISC) processors. In the variousschemes described above, each of apparatus 1110 and apparatus 1120 maybe implemented in or as a STA or an AP. Each of apparatus 1110 andapparatus 1120 may include at least some of those components shown inFIG. 11 such as a processor 1112 and a processor 1122, respectively, forexample. Each of apparatus 1110 and apparatus 1120 may further includeone or more other components not pertinent to the proposed scheme of thepresent disclosure (e.g., internal power supply, display device and/oruser interface device), and, thus, such component(s) of apparatus 1110and apparatus 1120 are neither shown in FIG. 11 nor described below inthe interest of simplicity and brevity.

In one aspect, each of processor 1112 and processor 1122 may beimplemented in the form of one or more single-core processors, one ormore multi-core processors, one or more RISC processors or one or moreCISC processors. That is, even though a singular term “a processor” isused herein to refer to processor 1112 and processor 1122, each ofprocessor 1112 and processor 1122 may include multiple processors insome implementations and a single processor in other implementations inaccordance with the present disclosure. In another aspect, each ofprocessor 1112 and processor 1122 may be implemented in the form ofhardware (and, optionally, firmware) with electronic componentsincluding, for example and without limitation, one or more transistors,one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, oneor more inductors, one or more memristors and/or one or more varactorsthat are configured and arranged to achieve specific purposes inaccordance with the present disclosure. In other words, in at least someimplementations, each of processor 1112 and processor 1122 is aspecial-purpose machine specifically designed, arranged and configuredto perform specific tasks including those pertaining to multiple-BSSIDsupport in multi-link operation in wireless communications in accordancewith various implementations of the present disclosure.

In some implementations, apparatus 1110 may also include a transceiver1116 coupled to processor 1112. Transceiver 1116 may be capable ofwirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some implementations,apparatus 1120 may also include a transceiver 1126 coupled to processor1122. Transceiver 1126 may include a transceiver capable of wirelesslytransmitting and receiving data.

In some implementations, apparatus 1110 may further include a memory1114 coupled to processor 1112 and capable of being accessed byprocessor 1112 and storing data therein. In some implementations,apparatus 1120 may further include a memory 1124 coupled to processor1122 and capable of being accessed by processor 1122 and storing datatherein. Each of memory 1114 and memory 1124 may include a type ofrandom-access memory (RAM) such as dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM(SRAM), thyristor RAM (T-RAM) and/or zero-capacitor RAM (Z-RAM).Alternatively, or additionally, each of memory 1114 and memory 1124 mayinclude a type of read-only memory (ROM) such as mask ROM, programmableROM (PROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM) and/or electricallyerasable programmable ROM (EEPROM). Alternatively, or additionally, eachof memory 1114 and memory 1124 may include a type of non-volatilerandom-access memory (NVRAM) such as flash memory, solid-state memory,ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM) and/orphase-change memory.

Each of apparatus 1110 and apparatus 1120 may be a communication entitycapable of communicating with each other using various proposed schemesin accordance with the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes andwithout limitation, a description of capabilities of apparatus 1110, asSTA 110, and apparatus 1120, as STA 120, is provided below. It isnoteworthy that, although the example implementations described beloware provided in the context of WLAN, the same may be implemented inother types of networks. Thus, although the following description ofexample implementations pertains to a scenario in which apparatus 1110functions as a transmitting device and apparatus 1120 functions as areceiving device, the same is also applicable to another scenario inwhich apparatus 1110 functions as a receiving device and apparatus 1120functions as a transmitting device.

Under a proposed scheme with respect to multiple-BSSID support inmulti-link operation in wireless communications in accordance with thepresent disclosure, processor 1112 of apparatus 1110 may assign aplurality of different MAC addresses to a plurality of virtual AP MLDsthat are implemented within apparatus 1110 as a physical AP MLD suchthat each of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs is assigned a respectiveMAC address of the plurality of different MAC addresses. Additionally,processor 1112 may establish, via transceiver 1116, wirelesscommunications with one or more STAs (including apparatus 1120 as a STA)over a plurality of links (shown as link 1˜link n in FIG. 11 , withn>1).

In some implementations, in establishing the wireless communicationswith the one or more STAs over the plurality of links, processor 1112may operate each of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs on each of theplurality of links under a respective one of a plurality of differentBSSIDs.

In some implementations, in establishing the wireless communicationswith the one or more STAs over the plurality of links, processor 1112may further operate a plurality of different IP subnets over theplurality of links, with each of the plurality of different IP subnetscorresponding to a respective one of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs.

In some implementations, each of the plurality of different IP subnetsmay be operated by the respective one of the plurality of virtual APMLDs over one or more links of the plurality of links.

In some implementations, a first virtual AP MLD of the plurality ofvirtual AP MLDs executed by processor 1112 may transmit, via transceiver1116, a beacon frame containing capabilities and operating parameters ofa first BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which the firstvirtual AP MLD operates on at least a first link of the plurality oflinks.

In some implementations, the beacon frame may also include aMultiple-Link IE containing capabilities and operating parameters of athird BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which the firstvirtual AP MLD operates on a second link of the plurality of links.

In some implementations, the beacon frame may further include aMultiple-Link IE that carries one or more Multiple Link Profilesub-elements with each of the one or more Multiple Link Profilesub-elements including a link ID field and a capability informationfield. In such cases, the link ID filed may indicate a respective linkID associated with a respective link with a mapping between therespective link and the respective link ID defined in the RNR element inthe beacon frame. Moreover, the capability information field mayindicate a capability of an AP in the AP MLD operating on the respectivelink.

In some implementations, each of the one or more Multiple Link Profilesub-elements may also include a DTIM period field and a DTIM countfield. In such cases, the DTIM period field may indicate a DTIM periodof the AP in the AP MLD operating on the respective link. Additionally,the DTIM count field may indicate a DTIM count of the AP in the AP MLDoperating on the respective link.

In some implementations, the Multiple-Link IE may further contain one ormore of the following: (a) one or more BSSIDs of the plurality ofdifferent BSSIDs on the first link and associated with the first virtualAP MLD, (b) a reduced neighbor report that provides a link ID mapping toa respective operating class, a respective channel number, and arespective BSSID of each link of the plurality of links, and (c one ormore other BSSIDs on one or more other links other than the first linkand associated with the first virtual AP MLD.

In some implementations, the beacon frame may also include aMultiple-BSSID IE containing capabilities and operating parameters of asecond BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which a secondvirtual AP MLD of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs operates.

In some implementations, the Multiple-BSSID IE may also contain a firstMultiple-Link IE. In some cases, the first Multiple-Link IE may have afirst BSSID profile sub-element associated with the first BSSID.Moreover, the first Multiple-Link IE may contain a first MAC address ofthe first virtual AP MLD.

In some implementations, the first Multiple-Link IE may also contain achange request of at least a third BSSID of the plurality of differentBSSIDs under which the first virtual AP MLD operates on a second link ofthe plurality of links.

In some implementations, the Multiple-BSSID IE may further contain asecond Multiple-Link IE. In such cases, the second Multiple-Link IE mayhave a second BSSID profile sub-element associated with a second BSSIDof the plurality of different BSSIDs under which a second virtual AP MLDof the plurality of virtual AP MLDs operates on one or more links of theplurality of links. Moreover, the second Multiple-Link IE may contain asecond MAC address of the second virtual AP MLD.

In some implementations, the second Multiple-Link IE may further containeither or both of: (a) a change request of a fourth BSSID of theplurality of different BSSIDs under which the second virtual AP MLDoperates on one or more links of the plurality of links, and (b) achange request of a fifth BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDsunder which a third virtual AP MLD of the plurality of virtual AP MLDsoperates on another one or more links of the plurality of links.

In some implementations, the Multiple-BSSID IE may further contain achange request of at least a second BSSID of the plurality of differentBSSIDs under which a second virtual AP MLD of the plurality of virtualAP MLDs operates on one or more links of the plurality of links.

Under a proposed scheme with respect to multiple-BSSID support inmulti-link operation in wireless communications in accordance with thepresent disclosure, processor 1122 of apparatus 1120 may establish, viatransceiver 1126, a wireless communication with a first virtual AP MLDof a plurality of virtual AP MLDs that are implemented within a physicalAP MLD (e.g., apparatus 1110) over a first link of a plurality of links.Accordingly, each of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs may be assigned arespective MAC address of a plurality of different MAC addresses.Moreover, each of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs may operate on eachof the plurality of links under a respective one of a plurality ofdifferent BSSIDs. Moreover, processor 1122 may receive, via transceiver1126, from the first virtual AP MLD a beacon frame containingcapabilities and operating parameters of a first BSSID of the pluralityof different BSSIDs under which the first virtual AP MLD operates on atleast the first link of the plurality of links.

In some implementations, the AP MLD may operate a plurality of differentIP subnets over the plurality of links. Accordingly, each of theplurality of different IP subnets may correspond to a respective one ofthe plurality of virtual AP MLDs. Moreover, each of the plurality ofdifferent IP subnets may be operated by the respective one of theplurality of virtual AP MLDs over one or more links of the plurality oflinks.

In some implementations, the beacon frame may also include aMultiple-Link IE containing capabilities and operating parameters of athird BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which the firstvirtual AP MLD operates on a second link of the plurality of links.Moreover, the Multiple-Link IE may also contain one or more of: (a) oneor more BSSIDs of the plurality of different BSSIDs on the first linkand associated with the first virtual AP MLD, (b) a reduced neighborreport that provides a link ID mapping to a respective operating class,a respective channel number, and a respective BSSID of each link of theplurality of links, and (c) one or more other BSSIDs on one or moreother links other than the first link and associated with the firstvirtual AP MLD.

In some implementations, the beacon frame may further include aMultiple-BSSID IE containing capabilities and operating parameters of asecond BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which a secondvirtual AP MLD of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs operates.

In some implementations, the Multiple-BSSID IE may further contain afirst Multiple-Link IE. In some cases, the first Multiple-Link IE mayhave a first BSSID profile sub-element associated with the first BSSID.Moreover, the first Multiple-Link IE may contain a first MAC address ofthe first virtual AP MLD. Furthermore, the Multiple-BSSID IE may alsocontain a change request of at least a second BSSID of the plurality ofdifferent BSSIDs under which a second virtual AP MLD of the plurality ofvirtual AP MLDs operates on one or more links of the plurality of links.

In some implementations, the first Multiple-Link IE may further containa change request of at least a third BSSID of the plurality of differentBSSIDs under which the first virtual AP MLD operates on a second link ofthe plurality of links.

In some implementations, the Multiple-BSSID IE may further contain asecond Multiple-Link IE. In some cases, the second Multiple-Link IE mayhave a second BSSID profile sub-element associated with a second BSSIDof the plurality of different BSSIDs under which a second virtual AP MLDof the plurality of virtual AP MLDs operates on one or more links of theplurality of links. Moreover, the second Multiple-Link IE may contain asecond MAC address of the second virtual AP MLD.

Furthermore, the second Multiple-Link IE may also contain either or bothof: (a) a change request of a fourth BSSID of the plurality of differentBSSIDs under which the second virtual AP MLD operates on one or morelinks of the plurality of links, and (b) a change request of a fifthBSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which a third virtualAP MLD of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs operates on another one ormore links of the plurality of links.

Illustrative Processes

FIG. 12 illustrates an example process 1200 in accordance with animplementation of the present disclosure. Process 1200 may represent anaspect of implementing various proposed designs, concepts, schemes,systems and methods described above. More specifically, process 1200 mayrepresent an aspect of the proposed concepts and schemes pertaining tomultiple-BSSID support in multi-link operation in wirelesscommunications in accordance with the present disclosure. Process 1200may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as illustratedby one or more of blocks 1210 and 1220. Although illustrated as discreteblocks, various blocks of process 1200 may be divided into additionalblocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated, depending on thedesired implementation. Moreover, the blocks/sub-blocks of process 1200may be executed in the order shown in FIG. 12 or, alternatively in adifferent order. Furthermore, one or more of the blocks/sub-blocks ofprocess 1200 may be executed repeatedly or iteratively. Process 1200 maybe implemented by or in apparatus 1110 and apparatus 1120 as well as anyvariations thereof. Solely for illustrative purposes and withoutlimiting the scope, process 1200 is described below in the context ofapparatus 1110 as STA 110 (e.g., a STA or AP) and apparatus 1120 as STA120 (e.g., a peer STA or AP) of a wireless network such as a WLAN inaccordance with one or more of IEEE 802.11 standards. Process 1200 maybegin at block 1210.

At 1210, process 1200 may involve processor 1112 of apparatus 1110assigning a plurality of different MAC addresses to a plurality ofvirtual AP MLDs that are implemented within apparatus 1110 as a physicalAP MLD such that each of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs is assigned arespective MAC address of the plurality of different MAC addresses.Process 1200 may proceed from 1210 to 1220.

At 1220, process 1200 may involve processor 1112 establishing, viatransceiver 1116, wireless communications with one or more stations(STAs) (including apparatus 1120 as a STA) over a plurality of links.

In some implementations, in establishing the wireless communicationswith the one or more STAs over the plurality of links, process 1200 mayinvolve processor 1112 operating each of the plurality of virtual APMLDs on each of the plurality of links under a respective one of aplurality of different BSSIDs.

In some implementations, in establishing the wireless communicationswith the one or more STAs over the plurality of links, process 1200 mayfurther involve processor 1112 operating a plurality of different IPsubnets over the plurality of links, with each of the plurality ofdifferent IP subnets corresponding to a respective one of the pluralityof virtual AP MLDs.

In some implementations, each of the plurality of different IP subnetsmay be operated by the respective one of the plurality of virtual APMLDs over one or more links of the plurality of links.

In some implementations, process 1200 may further involve a firstvirtual AP MLD of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs executed by processor1112 transmitting, via transceiver 1116, a beacon frame containingcapabilities and operating parameters of a first BSSID of the pluralityof different BSSIDs under which the first virtual AP MLD operates on atleast a first link of the plurality of links.

In some implementations, the beacon frame may also include aMultiple-Link IE containing capabilities and operating parameters of athird BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which the firstvirtual AP MLD operates on a second link of the plurality of links.

In some implementations, the beacon frame may further include aMultiple-Link IE that carries one or more Multiple Link Profilesub-elements with each of the one or more Multiple Link Profilesub-elements including a link ID field and a capability informationfield. In such cases, the link ID filed may indicate a respective linkID associated with a respective link with a mapping between therespective link and the respective link ID defined in the RNR element inthe beacon frame. Moreover, the capability information field mayindicate a capability of an AP in the AP MLD operating on the respectivelink.

In some implementations, each of the one or more Multiple Link Profilesub-elements may also include a DTIM period field and a DTIM countfield. In such cases, the DTIM period field may indicate a DTIM periodof the AP in the AP MLD operating on the respective link. Additionally,the DTIM count field may indicate a DTIM count of the AP in the AP MLDoperating on the respective link.

In some implementations, the Multiple-Link IE may further contain one ormore of the following: (a) one or more BSSIDs of the plurality ofdifferent BSSIDs on the first link and associated with the first virtualAP MLD, (b) a reduced neighbor report that provides a link ID mapping toa respective operating class, a respective channel number, and arespective BSSID of each link of the plurality of links, and (c) one ormore other BSSIDs on one or more other links other than the first linkand associated with the first virtual AP MLD.

In some implementations, the beacon frame may also include aMultiple-BSSID IE containing capabilities and operating parameters of asecond BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which a secondvirtual AP MLD of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs operates.

In some implementations, the Multiple-BSSID IE may also contain a firstMultiple-Link IE. In some cases, the first Multiple-Link IE may have afirst BSSID profile sub-element associated with the first BSSID.Moreover, the first Multiple-Link IE may contain a first MAC address ofthe first virtual AP MLD.

In some implementations, the first Multiple-Link IE may also contain achange request of at least a third BSSID of the plurality of differentBSSIDs under which the first virtual AP MLD operates on a second link ofthe plurality of links.

In some implementations, the Multiple-BSSID IE may further contain asecond Multiple-Link IE. In such cases, the second Multiple-Link IE mayhave a second BSSID profile sub-element associated with a second BSSIDof the plurality of different BSSIDs under which a second virtual AP MLDof the plurality of virtual AP MLDs operates on one or more links of theplurality of links. Moreover, the second Multiple-Link IE may contain asecond MAC address of the second virtual AP MLD.

In some implementations, the second Multiple-Link IE may further containeither or both of: (a) a change request of a fourth BSSID of theplurality of different BSSIDs under which the second virtual AP MLDoperates on one or more links of the plurality of links, and (b) achange request of a fifth BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDsunder which a third virtual AP MLD of the plurality of virtual AP MLDsoperates on another one or more links of the plurality of links.

In some implementations, the Multiple-BSSID IE may further contain achange request of at least a second BSSID of the plurality of differentBSSIDs under which a second virtual AP MLD of the plurality of virtualAP MLDs operates on one or more links of the plurality of links.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example process 1300 in accordance with animplementation of the present disclosure. Process 1300 may represent anaspect of implementing various proposed designs, concepts, schemes,systems and methods described above. More specifically, process 1300 mayrepresent an aspect of the proposed concepts and schemes pertaining tomultiple-BSSID support in multi-link operation in wirelesscommunications in accordance with the present disclosure. Process 1300may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as illustratedby one or more of blocks 1310 and 1320. Although illustrated as discreteblocks, various blocks of process 1300 may be divided into additionalblocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated, depending on thedesired implementation. Moreover, the blocks/sub-blocks of process 1300may be executed in the order shown in FIG. 13 or, alternatively in adifferent order. Furthermore, one or more of the blocks/sub-blocks ofprocess 1300 may be executed repeatedly or iteratively. Process 1300 maybe implemented by or in apparatus 1110 and apparatus 1120 as well as anyvariations thereof. Solely for illustrative purposes and withoutlimiting the scope, process 1300 is described below in the context ofapparatus 1110 as STA 110 (e.g., a STA or AP) and apparatus 1120 as STA120 (e.g., a peer STA or AP) of a wireless network such as a WLAN inaccordance with one or more of IEEE 802.11 standards. Process 1300 maybegin at block 1310.

At 1310, process 1300 may involve processor 1122 of apparatus 1120establishing, via transceiver 1126, a wireless communication with afirst virtual AP MLD of a plurality of virtual AP MLDs that areimplemented within a physical AP MLD (e.g., apparatus 1110) over a firstlink of a plurality of links. Accordingly, each of the plurality ofvirtual AP MLDs may be assigned a respective MAC address of a pluralityof different MAC addresses. Moreover, each of the plurality of virtualAP MLDs may operate on each of the plurality of links under a respectiveone of a plurality of different BSSIDs. Process 1300 may proceed from1310 to 1320.

At 1320, process 1300 may involve processor 1122 receiving, viatransceiver 1126, from the first virtual AP MLD a beacon framecontaining capabilities and operating parameters of a first BSSID of theplurality of different BSSIDs under which the first virtual AP MLDoperates on at least the first link of the plurality of links.

In some implementations, the AP MLD may operate a plurality of differentIP subnets over the plurality of links. Accordingly, each of theplurality of different IP subnets may correspond to a respective one ofthe plurality of virtual AP MLDs. Moreover, each of the plurality ofdifferent IP subnets may be operated by the respective one of theplurality of virtual AP MLDs over one or more links of the plurality oflinks.

In some implementations, the beacon frame may also include aMultiple-Link IE containing capabilities and operating parameters of athird BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which the firstvirtual AP MLD operates on a second link of the plurality of links.Moreover, the Multiple-Link IE may also contain one or more of: (a) oneor more BSSIDs of the plurality of different BSSIDs on the first linkand associated with the first virtual AP MLD, (b) a reduced neighborreport that provides a link ID mapping to a respective operating class,a respective channel number, and a respective BSSID of each link of theplurality of links, and (c) one or more other BSSIDs on one or moreother links other than the first link and associated with the firstvirtual AP MLD.

In some implementations, the beacon frame may further include aMultiple-BSSID IE containing capabilities and operating parameters of asecond BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which a secondvirtual AP MLD of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs operates.

In some implementations, the Multiple-BSSID IE may further contain afirst Multiple-Link IE. In some cases, the first Multiple-Link IE mayhave a first BSSID profile sub-element associated with the first BSSID.Moreover, the first Multiple-Link IE may contain a first MAC address ofthe first virtual AP MLD. Furthermore, the Multiple-BSSID IE may alsocontain a change request of at least a second BSSID of the plurality ofdifferent BSSIDs under which a second virtual AP MLD of the plurality ofvirtual AP MLDs operates on one or more links of the plurality of links.

In some implementations, the first Multiple-Link IE may further containa change request of at least a third BSSID of the plurality of differentBSSIDs under which the first virtual AP MLD operates on a second link ofthe plurality of links.

In some implementations, the Multiple-BSSID IE may further contain asecond Multiple-Link IE. In some cases, the second Multiple-Link IE mayhave a second BSSID profile sub-element associated with a second BSSIDof the plurality of different BSSIDs under which a second virtual AP MLDof the plurality of virtual AP MLDs operates on one or more links of theplurality of links. Moreover, the second Multiple-Link IE may contain asecond MAC address of the second virtual AP MLD. Furthermore, the secondMultiple-Link IE may also contain either or both of: (a) a changerequest of a fourth BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs underwhich the second virtual AP MLD operates on one or more links of theplurality of links, and (b) a change request of a fifth BSSID of theplurality of different BSSIDs under which a third virtual AP MLD of theplurality of virtual AP MLDs operates on another one or more links ofthe plurality of links.

Additional Notes

The herein-described subject matter sometimes illustrates differentcomponents contained within, or connected with, different othercomponents. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures aremerely examples, and that in fact many other architectures can beimplemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense,any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality iseffectively “associated” such that the desired functionality isachieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve aparticular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each othersuch that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective ofarchitectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components soassociated can also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or“operably coupled”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality,and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewedas being “operably couplable”, to each other to achieve the desiredfunctionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but arenot limited to physically mateable and/or physically interactingcomponents and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interactingcomponents and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactablecomponents.

Further, with respect to the use of substantially any plural and/orsingular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate fromthe plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as isappropriate to the context and/or application. The varioussingular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sakeof clarity.

Moreover, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that, ingeneral, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims, e.g.,bodies of the appended claims, are generally intended as “open” terms,e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but notlimited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having atleast,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but isnot limited to,” etc. It will be further understood by those within theart that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation isintended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and inthe absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example,as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may containusage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” tointroduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should notbe construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by theindefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containingsuch introduced claim recitation to implementations containing only onesuch recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductoryphrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as“a” or “an,” e.g., “a” and/or “an” should be interpreted to mean “atleast one” or “one or more;” the same holds true for the use of definitearticles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if aspecific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited,those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should beinterpreted to mean at least the recited number, e.g., the barerecitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, means at leasttwo recitations, or two or more recitations. Furthermore, in thoseinstances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C,etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the senseone having skill in the art would understand the convention, e.g., “asystem having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not belimited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and Btogether, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and Ctogether, etc. In those instances where a convention analogous to “atleast one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a constructionis intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understandthe convention, e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” wouldinclude but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, Calone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A,B, and C together, etc. It will be further understood by those withinthe art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting twoor more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, ordrawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities ofincluding one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. Forexample, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include thepossibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various implementationsof the present disclosure have been described herein for purposes ofillustration, and that various modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.Accordingly, the various implementations disclosed herein are notintended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicatedby the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: establishing a multi-basic service set identifier (multi-BSSID) environment with a plurality of virtual access point (AP) multi-link devices (MLDs) implemented within a physical AP MLD; and wirelessly communicating with one or more stations (STAs) over a plurality of links in a multi-link operation, wherein each virtual AP MLD of the plurality of AP MLDs has a respective AP MLD medium access control (MAC) address used in establishing a respective administrative domain over the plurality of links, and wherein each virtual AP MLD of the plurality of AP MLDs is associated with a respective plurality of BSSIDs each of which corresponding to a respective link of the plurality of links.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating with the one or more STAs comprises transmitting one or more beacon frames over one or more links of the plurality of links, and wherein each beacon frame of the one or more beacon frames contains a plurality of fields comprising at least a Change sequence field, a Multiple BSSID field, a Reduced Neighbor Report field, and a Multiple Link field.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein: the Change sequence field indicates a change sequence associated with a transmitted BSSID, the Multiple BSSID field indicates one or more non-transmitted BSSIDs on one or more links of the plurality of links associated with the transmitted BSSID, the Reduced Neighbor Report field indicates a Link identifier (ID) mapping to an operating class, a channel number, and a respective BSSID corresponding to each link, and the Multiple Link field indicates one or more BSSIDs corresponding to other links associated with one of the virtual AP MLDs having the transmitted BSSID.
 4. An apparatus, comprising: a transceiver configured to communicate wirelessly; and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform, via the transceiver, operations comprising: assigning a plurality of different medium access control (MAC) addresses to a plurality of virtual access point (AP) multi-link devices (MLDs) that are implemented within a physical AP MLD such that each of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs is assigned a respective MAC address of the plurality of different MAC addresses; and establishing wireless communications with one or more stations (STAs) over a plurality of links, wherein the establishing the wireless communications with the one or more STAs over the plurality of links comprises transmitting, by a first virtual AP MLD of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs, a frame comprising a Multiple-Link information element (IE) carrying one or more Multiple Link Profile sub-elements with each of the one or more Multiple Link Profile sub-elements comprising a delivery traffic indication message (DTIM) period field and a DTIM count field, wherein the DTIM period field indicates a DTIM period of the AP in the AP MLD operating on the respective link, and wherein the DTIM count field indicates a DTIM count of the AP in the AP MLD operating on the respective link.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the establishing the wireless communications with the one or more STAs over the plurality of links further comprises operating each of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs on each of the plurality of links under a respective one of a plurality of different basic service set identifiers (BSSIDs).
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the frame further comprises capabilities and operating parameters of a first BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which the first virtual AP MLD operates on at least a first link of the plurality of links.
 7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the Multiple-Link IE further contains capabilities and operating parameters of a third BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which the first virtual AP MLD operates on a second link of the plurality of links, and wherein the Multiple-Link IE further contains one or more of: one or more BSSIDs of the plurality of different BSSIDs on the first link and associated with the first virtual AP MLD, a reduced neighbor report that provides a link identifier (ID) mapping to a respective operating class, a respective channel number, and a respective BSSID of each link of the plurality of links, and one or more other BSSIDs on one or more other links other than the first link and associated with the first virtual AP MLD.
 8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein each of the one or more Multiple Link Profile sub-elements further comprises a link identifier (ID) field and a capability information field, wherein the link ID filed indicates a respective link ID associated with a respective link with a mapping between the respective link and the respective link ID defined in a Reduced Neighbor Report (RNR) element in the frame, and wherein the capability information field indicates a capability of an AP in the AP MLD operating on the respective link.
 9. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the frame further comprises a Multiple-BSSID IE containing capabilities and operating parameters of a second BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which a second virtual AP MLD of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs operates.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the Multiple-BSSID IE further contains a change request of at least a second BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which a second virtual AP MLD of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs operates on one or more links of the plurality of links.
 11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the Multiple-BSSID IE further contains a first Multiple-Link IE, wherein the first Multiple-Link IE has a first BSSID profile sub-element associated with the first BSSID, and wherein the first Multiple-Link IE contains a first MAC address of the first virtual AP MLD.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first Multiple-Link IE further contains a change request of at least a third BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which the first virtual AP MLD operates on a second link of the plurality of links.
 13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the Multiple-BSSID IE further contains a second Multiple-Link IE, wherein the second Multiple-Link IE has a second BSSID profile sub-element associated with a second BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which a second virtual AP MLD of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs operates on one or more links of the plurality of links, wherein the second Multiple-Link IE contains a second MAC address of the second virtual AP MLD, and wherein the second Multiple-Link IE further contains either or both of: a change request of a fourth BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which the second virtual AP MLD operates on one or more links of the plurality of links, and a change request of a fifth BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which a third virtual AP MLD of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs operates on another one or more links of the plurality of links.
 14. An apparatus, comprising: a transceiver configured to communicate wirelessly; and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform, via the transceiver, operations comprising: establishing a wireless communication with a first virtual access point (AP) multi-link device (MLD) of a plurality of virtual AP MLDs that are implemented within a physical AP MLD over a first link of a plurality of links such that: each of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs is assigned a respective medium access control (MAC) address of a plurality of different MAC addresses, and each of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs operates on each of the plurality of links under a respective one of a plurality of different basic service set identifiers (BSSIDs); and receiving, from the first virtual AP MLD, a frame containing capabilities and operating parameters of a first BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which the first virtual AP MLD operates on at least the first link of the plurality of links, wherein the frame further comprises a Multiple-Link information element (IE) carrying one or more Multiple Link Profile sub-elements with each of the one or more Multiple Link Profile sub-elements comprising a delivery traffic indication message (DTIM) period field and a DTIM count field, wherein the DTIM period field indicates a DTIM period of the AP in the AP MLD operating on the respective link, and wherein the DTIM count field indicates a DTIM count of the AP in the AP MLD operating on the respective link.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the AP MLD operates a plurality of different Internet Protocol (IP) subnets over the plurality of links, wherein each of the plurality of different IP subnets corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs, and wherein each of the plurality of different IP subnets is operated by the respective one of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs over one or more links of the plurality of links.
 16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the Multiple-Link IE further contains capabilities and operating parameters of a third BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which the first virtual AP MLD operates on a second link of the plurality of links, and wherein the Multiple-Link IE further contains one or more of: one or more BSSIDs of the plurality of different BSSIDs on the first link and associated with the first virtual AP MLD, a reduced neighbor report that provides a link identifier (ID) mapping to a respective operating class, a respective channel number, and a respective BSSID of each link of the plurality of links, and one or more other BSSIDs on one or more other links other than the first link and associated with the first virtual AP MLD.
 17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the frame further comprises a Multiple-BSSID IE containing capabilities and operating parameters of a second BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which a second virtual AP MLD of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs operates.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the Multiple-BSSID IE further contains a first Multiple-Link IE, wherein the first Multiple-Link IE has a first BSSID profile sub-element associated with the first BSSID, wherein the first Multiple-Link IE contains a first MAC address of the first virtual AP MLD, and wherein the Multiple-BSSID IE further contains a change request of at least a second BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which a second virtual AP MLD of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs operates on one or more links of the plurality of links.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first Multiple-Link IE further contains a change request of at least a third BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which the first virtual AP MLD operates on a second link of the plurality of links.
 20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the Multiple-BSSID IE further contains a second Multiple-Link IE, wherein the second Multiple-Link IE has a second BSSID profile sub-element associated with a second BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which a second virtual AP MLD of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs operates on one or more links of the plurality of links, wherein the second Multiple-Link IE contains a second MAC address of the second virtual AP MLD, and wherein the second Multiple-Link IE further contains either or both of: a change request of a fourth BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which the second virtual AP MLD operates on one or more links of the plurality of links, and a change request of a fifth BSSID of the plurality of different BSSIDs under which a third virtual AP MLD of the plurality of virtual AP MLDs operates on another one or more links of the plurality of links. 